‘Once Upon a Time,’ Season 2, Episode 12, ‘In the Name of the Brother’: TV Recap

Storybrooke’s boundaries are an issue this episode. Belle doesn’t know who she is because she got pushed over it, and a stranger who drove in could be a threat. There’s a lot of issues between parents and children. The mystery of Dr. Whale’s identity is resolved (though not why he chose that name).

Belle got pushed beyond the borders of Storybrooke, and because she had no protection, remembers nothing. Hook’s injured too, and someone who drove in from the outside.

More of Victor Frankenstein, whom we met a few episodes back, in a flashback where it’s clear that his father prefers his brother Gerhard.

In the hospital, Gold kisses Belle but it’s not a fairy tale—she wakes up screaming. Hook’s in the hospital too, and Emma watches over him, pissed off. She wants to know where Cora is, but he won’t say. The stranger’s arrival means that the barrier protecting Storybrooke is now gone, which makes Mary Margaret speak very very fast, letting us know that it’s going to be a real issue if Regina, whom they now know is innocent, finds Cora and those two decide to be allies (read that at double speed and you get the idea). Dr. Whale is unable to stop the stranger’s bleeding. Mary Mararet points out that Dr. Whale is drunk. Just then the stranger’s phone rings. His ringtone is “Star Wars.”

And in the past Victor meets Rump, whose coat is red despite the flashback to Frankenstein’s laboratory filmed in black and white. Rump introduces himself as Rumple Von Stiltskin. Rump pours out a bag of gold coins to find out how Victor restores life, and Victor’s impressed at how more coins fall out of the pouch than it could possibly hold. He goes grave-robbing with his brother, and the bro gets shot. Victor’s father disowns him when he sees Gerhard’s body on the slabe. You know, Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” is a really good book. It would be nice to see it dramatized one day.

Back in Storybrooke, Rump looks tenderly at the chipped teacup. Cora offers to give him his son if he leaves her and Regina alone. Rump accepts the truce and offers to shake but Cora wants to seal it with a kiss. Yuck.

An ER tech pages the doctor and we see Dr. Whale’s pager is in the trash. David unwittingly outs Dr. Whale by talking about how the doc brought Regina’s fiancé back to life—like Dr. Frankenstein. Emma sends Ruby, who tracks like a wolf, to fetch him.

Henry comes to see Regina, but it’s really Cora in disguise. Cora apologizes for everything and expresses her love, but Regina resists. “You wanted me broken,” she tells her mother, rightfully telling her how manipulative she is.

Ruby finds Dr. Whale standing on the edge of a bridge. He tosses his watch in first and then jumps, but using her wolfy speed Ruby catches him. “I wanted my name to stand for life, but everybody just thinks it’s the name of a monster,” he mopes. Ruby, in excellent group therapy style, points out that she can relate to his problems. She’s a werewolf, and she ate her boyfriend, she points out. Heh. She is going to take the chance to start over, and she thinks Victor should begin by fixing the guy in the hospital. Whale takes her advice and does it. He thanks her—“monster to monster.”

Cora tries to turn Regina using Henry’s divided love as bait, and it looks like it works, because Regina really, really wants her son back. The town bar is called The Rabbit Hole, which is awesome. Regina leans her head on Mommy’s shoulder.

Gerhard the monster kind of sort of recognizes Victor in the past. Victor takes out a gun to put him out of his misery, but he can’t do it.

Gold hands Belle the chipped teacup asking her to focus on it. The talk of magic freaks her out and she smashes the cup. Since she has no memories of anything else, why would she be that wigged out? Back in his shop, he pricks his finger and sheds blood on what looks like a crystal ball that turns into a globe. “Bey,” he says sadly.

Henry points out that Frankenstein isn’t in his book but is from another book, and different stories. If the curse went to other lands, who knows who else is in town? Gold shows up at the apartment asking to cash in his favor. He wants to find his son, and has to leave immediately because he really wants to kill Hook. And he threatens them that if any harm comes to Belle he’ll kill them all, which is kind of funny, as why would any of them harm Belle?

Emma interrogates the stranger, who claims he saw nothing because he was texting. After she leaves, he calls his wife. “You’re not going to believe what I saw,” he said.

What do you think? Will Gold find his son? Will Regina be turned back to evil? What about the stranger?